The Drive, one play at a time
Relive "The Drive" with a play-by-play gallery of the historic moment. (Photos by AP Images unless noted)
After misjudging the Browns' kickoff, the Broncos downed the ball at their own 2-yard line. Down a touchdown and with a little less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, head coach Dan Reeves and quarterback John Elway would have their work cut out for them to send the game to overtime. However, the Broncos were not lacking for confidence. "We've got them right where we want them," players recalled guard Keith Bishop saying in the huddle.
Before the Broncos could get themselves in position for a game-tying score, they'd first have to get out of the shadow of their own goalposts. Winder's catch in the left flat did just that, providing the Broncos more space with which to work. "Honestly, I felt like we had a chance. Anytime you have a John Elway as your quarterback, you have a chance," Reeves said. "I could see the determination in his eyes."
Denver continued to look to Winder to move the offense on its second play of the drive. On this pitch play, Winder gained 3 yards and got the Broncos into a short-yardage situation they could convert. Photo from Denver Broncos Photo Archive
Winder got the ball for a third consecutive time, and with it, he converted the short third down to give the Broncos another set of downs.
With another run, Winder shortened the field ahead of the Broncos by another 3 yards, moving the Broncos closer. The clock kept ticking. Â Photo from Denver Broncos Photo Archive
As pressure began to collapse the pocket to the right and behind him, Elway found room to run to his left. He slid down at the Denver 26, picking up a first down and a little more. There were about three minutes remaining on the clock.
After his scramble, Elway found another soft spot in Cleveland's defense as Steve Sewell ran a route out of the backfield over the middle of the field, just behind the linebackers and just in front of a Browns safety. Sewell came down with the pass as the safety collided with him.
Elway threw a dart to Steve Watson on the right sideline to pick up another 12 yards and move the Broncos into Cleveland territory. The two-minute warning then stopped the clock.
After an incomplete deep pass intended for Vance Johnson, the Browns finally got the Broncos moving back toward their own end zone with a sack to put Denver back near midfield. One minute and 47 seconds were left in the game.
At the very least, the Broncos needed a modest gain to make fourth down manageable. Instead, Elway got the yardage in one fell swoop as Broncos' offensive line kept the Browns' defensive linemen at bay. Jackson had found some separation from Cleveland's defensive backs, and Elway zipped the ball into the gap for a first down. Photo from Denver Broncos Photo Archive
After a throw away, the Broncos picked up another first down, this time on a screen pass to Sewell down the left sideline. But Sewell was tackled in bounds, and the clock wound down inside a minute remaining.
After the Sewell screen play, Elway threw a quick pass to Steve Watson in the end zone, but it fell incomplete, which at least stopped the clock. On the ensuing play, Elway took the snap out of the shotgun formation, but he couldn't find an open receiver and had to scramble to his right. The Browns finally brought him down at the 5-yard line.
On third down, the Broncos moved Mark Jackson across the field to the left side before the snap, setting him up for a route that gave him inside position on Browns defensive back Mark Harper. As Jackson flashed open between Harper behind him and the Browns' linebackers ahead of him, Elway found him for the touchdown pass, setting up the game-tying PAT kick. "That game put me on the map," Elway told the Denver Post in 2014.
After the game-tying score, the Broncos and Browns were headed to overtime, so the Broncos needed a defensive stop and another big drive to send them to the Super Bowl. Denver's defense held the Browns to a three-and-out and got the ball back at their own 25-yard line. It only took eight plays to get in position for the game-winning kick. On fourth down from the Browns 15-yard line, reserve quarterback Gary Kubiak took the snap, holding on the kick for Rich Karlis, whose bare right foot knocked the ball just inside the left upright. "When our backs are closest to the wall is when we really play our best — and we couldn't get any closer to the wall," Elway said after the game. "The day before a big game, you dream of doing things like that."
